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Post by beachmallow on Nov 13, 2023 7:23:13 GMT -5
The Giggens review of Going Public is the exact opposite of my opinion of that album. Each Bruce song is a perfectly sugared gumdrop that will warm your soul in the depths of the deepest winter. He does covers, plays piano, and has a voice more cloyingly sweet than marshmallow fluff. If anyone was born to have a number one Christmas album, it’s that guy. Why are we not Bruce-maxing?
We need the Bruce Johnston Christmas album.
Jingle Bells
White Christmas
Auld Lang Syne
It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
Wonderful Christmastime
Silver Bells
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
The Christmas Song
Sleigh Ride
Frosty The Snowman
This is like the one time you actually want someone to make the cash grab album. Those first two already exist on YouTube. You could even keep in the commentary about the origins of these songs and it would be perfectly cozy holiday listening. It need not be overly complicated either. Just stick him at a piano and listen to him.
His humility is such that we will probably never see this materialize, but can pray for it nevertheless.
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Post by boogieboarder on Nov 13, 2023 12:06:52 GMT -5
When I bought Going Public, the owner and employees in the record store were jumping up and down with glee. The told me that they had been worried for years that they’d never be able to sell their one copy of the album.
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Post by beachmallow on Nov 13, 2023 15:12:47 GMT -5
When I bought Going Public, the owner and employees in the record store were jumping up and down with glee. The told me that they had been worried for years that they’d never be able to sell their one copy of the album. That was *checks notes* 46 years ago. The majority of Americans would not have a home computer for another 20 years. Times have changed. Everyone talks about how Brian suffered under critics, but not Bruce. Bruce performs sensitive, beautiful, music. Who wants to hear about Billie Eilish’s friends dying of Xanax addiction, or Taylor Swift telling us we need to calm down because some dude is wearing a gown? People are aware the world is a depressing place. There is more than enough commentary and advertising that getting it from musicians trying to package it as art is just grating. That is precisely why we need Bruce’s hopeful, cheerful, music. All I am asking is that we get some Bruce music for all seasons. |
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Post by Awesoman on Nov 14, 2023 9:54:28 GMT -5
Bruce may rock about as hard as a pillow but his easy listening sound would have been well suited for a Christmas album. Unfortunately he's been mostly on autopilot for the last 20-30 years and it's definitely unlikely we'll be getting anything new from him at this point.
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Post by boogieboarder on Nov 14, 2023 11:27:29 GMT -5
When I bought Going Public, the owner and employees in the record store were jumping up and down with glee. The told me that they had been worried for years that they’d never be able to sell their one copy of the album. That was *checks notes* 46 years ago. The majority of Americans would not have a home computer for another 20 years. Times have changed. Everyone talks about how Brian suffered under critics, but not Bruce. Bruce performs sensitive, beautiful, music. Who wants to hear about Billie Eilish’s friends dying of Xanax addiction, or Taylor Swift telling us we need to calm down because some dude is wearing a gown? People are aware the world is a depressing place. There is more than enough commentary and advertising that getting it from musicians trying to package it as art is just grating. That is precisely why we need Bruce’s hopeful, cheerful, music. All I am asking is that we get some Bruce music for all seasons. I bought Going Public 15 years after it was released. That’s how long it sat unsold in the record store. |
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Post by beachmallow on Nov 14, 2023 21:25:17 GMT -5
Bruce may rock about as hard as a pillow but his easy listening sound would have been well suited for a Christmas album. Unfortunately he's been mostly on autopilot for the last 20-30 years and it's definitely unlikely we'll be getting anything new from him at this point. Correct me if I am wrong, but haven’t they been performing 150+ shows per year for quite some time now? I would hardly call that being on autopilot! When you factor in time on the road to make those dates, they surely have a schedule that rivals that of professional wrestlers. There are twenty-something footballers who can not work that kind of schedule. Some can rock hard, others rock gently, but Bruce has achieved the hardest of all, which is to rock steady for more than sixty years. I did ask him point blank if he would consider a Christmas album, and his response was “Why”? He was so modest and humble, I got the impression that he genuinely underestimates the value of his contributions to music. His focus seems to rest on keeping current, and helping others. I suspect that many of these songs were probably already covered at some point, or may be scattered across compilations and formats. I am not above cobbling together a mixtape if someone can tell me where I can find these songs. |
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Post by E on Nov 15, 2023 8:38:30 GMT -5
I was surprised he didn't end up writing songs for romcoms, like David Gates with Goodbye Girl. There are at least three good tracks on Going Public - maybe four.
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Post by Awesoman on Nov 15, 2023 8:49:51 GMT -5
Bruce may rock about as hard as a pillow but his easy listening sound would have been well suited for a Christmas album. Unfortunately he's been mostly on autopilot for the last 20-30 years and it's definitely unlikely we'll be getting anything new from him at this point. Correct me if I am wrong, but haven’t they been performing 150+ shows per year for quite some time now? I would hardly call that being on autopilot! When you factor in time on the road to make those dates, they surely have a schedule that rivals that of professional wrestlers. There are twenty-something footballers who can not work that kind of schedule. Some can rock hard, others rock gently, but Bruce has achieved the hardest of all, which is to rock steady for more than sixty years. I did ask him point blank if he would consider a Christmas album, and his response was “Why”? He was so modest and humble, I got the impression that he genuinely underestimates the value of his contributions to music. His focus seems to rest on keeping current, and helping others. I suspect that many of these songs were probably already covered at some point, or may be scattered across compilations and formats. I am not above cobbling together a mixtape if someone can tell me where I can find these songs. Fair enough but I think you're reading too deeply into what I was saying. By "autopilot" I meant 𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑦; meaning he hasn't put out any music of his own in ages. I think the only contribution we've gotten from him was that demo of his new version of "She Believes In Love Again" he originally had submitted for the band's reunion album. And yeah he does tour extensively. Although there has been some debate that the keyboard he stands behind is even plugged in or not.. 😇 |
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Post by boogieboarder on Nov 15, 2023 14:40:31 GMT -5
Bruce may rock about as hard as a pillow but his easy listening sound would have been well suited for a Christmas album. Unfortunately he's been mostly on autopilot for the last 20-30 years and it's definitely unlikely we'll be getting anything new from him at this point. ... I did ask him point blank if he would consider a Christmas album, and his response was “Why”? ... I would ask the same question. Why do we need a new Christmas album from anybody? |
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Post by beachmallow on Nov 15, 2023 16:16:44 GMT -5
Remember when you had to hunt around town at the different music stores, or special order the music you wanted?
Not for one minute do I believe that the person who tracked down a copy of Going Public on vinyl in 1992 is going to pass on anything that gets a release.
Christmas music is timeless. The Beach Boys are timeless. Simple as!
Christmas music is where it is at. Josh Groban, Michael Bublé, Pentatonix, and more have all released Christmas albums. Even the country music stars have hopped on the bandwagon. Christmas music is what the consumer wants, or so many artists would not be releasing such albums. Gen Z just hit their first Christmas shopping season. They are shopping longer on average, beginning in October, and half make a purchase after seeing something on an app.
My tree goes up in October.
I promise you we need more Christmas music.
And how totally sweet would it be if we got some tie-ins like Mariah Carey, or BTS did with McDonald’s? There would be grown men lined up around the block if they offered a download with a collector’s cup series. Or some place like Starbucks, with those popular Stanley cranberry tumblers.
If we have learned anything in this age of instant gratification, it is that brands will grant us any collaboration we want with the right social media.
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Post by Awesoman on Nov 18, 2023 13:10:08 GMT -5
Remember when you had to hunt around town at the different music stores, or special order the music you wanted? Not for one minute do I believe that the person who tracked down a copy of Going Public on vinyl in 1992 is going to pass on anything that gets a release. Christmas music is timeless. The Beach Boys are timeless. Simple as! Christmas music is where it is at. Josh Groban, Michael Bublé, Pentatonix, and more have all released Christmas albums. Even the country music stars have hopped on the bandwagon. Christmas music is what the consumer wants, or so many artists would not be releasing such albums. Gen Z just hit their first Christmas shopping season. They are shopping longer on average, beginning in October, and half make a purchase after seeing something on an app. My tree goes up in October. I promise you we need more Christmas music. And how totally sweet would it be if we got some tie-ins like Mariah Carey, or BTS did with McDonald’s? There would be grown men lined up around the block if they offered a download with a collector’s cup series. Or some place like Starbucks, with those popular Stanley cranberry tumblers. If we have learned anything in this age of instant gratification, it is that brands will grant us any collaboration we want with the right social media. Nothing wrong with Christmas or Christmas music. I particularly love the holiday season (although my tree doesn't go up until after Thanksgiving; no way I'm going to look at that thing for three months 😅). And Bruce probably could have supplied us with a darn good, if maybe sugary sweet, Christmas album in his heyday. I just don't see him doing anything like that at this point of his life. |
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Post by Will/P.P. on Nov 19, 2023 20:09:33 GMT -5
I was surprised he didn't end up writing songs for romcoms, like David Gates with Goodbye Girl. There are at least three good tracks on Going Public - maybe four. Bruce is good, but not David Gates good. Let's get that straight. David wrote a lot more than songs for romcoms. David is part of L.A. music history, beginning in 1961. Was involved with the wrecking crew cats and wrote hits for others, though I wasn't paying any attention back then. Bread's first album in 1969 was great and served as my introduction to his talent as a performer. I'm not sure how many on this forum remember Bread, other than their soft hits. In reality, they could rock when they wanted to. The rockers were mostly deep cuts. David's first solo album in 1973 was incredible, as was Never Let Her Go (1975). Then, in 1976, he reformed Bread (Jimmy Griffin, Larry Knechtel, Mike Botts and David). Lost Without Your Love was the result in 1977. The title track, released as a single in November '76, was a #9 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Bruce's album was no competition. I got mine in 1979 in a used record shop - it's a promo copy. Has only a few decent tracks. Those Beach Boys re-makes not among them. I'm indifferent on "I Write the Songs". Barry did it very well, and it was okay when Bruce pulled it out for Beach Boys shows. He was already gone. Nothing on the record matches the great music he made with The Beach Boys, before or later when he returned to the group. Honestly, when he did want to spotlight his Grammy hit, I always thought he should be doing one of his Sunflower
songs. I also really enjoyed hearing him do "The Nearest Faraway Place" live - one of my very favorites by him. I think all of the songs Bruce wrote while in The Beach Boys were great-to-excellent. "Goodbye Girl" was just another solid Gates song. He kept writing great songs and producing great albums until he retired to run his ranch. I own and listen to all of his records and have everything on Cd, 1969 through 2002. I like about a dozen of his solo 1960s recordings. Bruce, to me, had a mostly uninteresting career in the early '60s before jumping off the copycat road, jumping in to fill a role in The Beach Boys - his lucky break. Bruce is a great singer. Brian Wilson had a way of making those around him better. Usually, only when they were in his orbit. |
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Post by beachmallow on Nov 19, 2023 21:33:38 GMT -5
I was surprised he didn't end up writing songs for romcoms, like David Gates with Goodbye Girl. There are at least three good tracks on Going Public - maybe four. Bruce is good, but not David Gates good. Let's get that straight. David wrote a lot more than songs for romcoms. David is part of L.A. music history, beginning in 1961. Was involved with the wrecking crew cats and wrote hits for others, though I wasn't paying any attention back then. Bread's first album in 1969 was great and served as my introduction to his talent as a performer. I'm not sure how many on this forum remember Bread, other than their soft hits. In reality, they could rock when they wanted to. The rockers were mostly deep cuts. David's first solo album in 1973 was incredible, as was Never Let Her Go (1975). Then, in 1976, he reformed Bread (Jimmy Griffin, Larry Knechtel, Mike Botts and David). Lost Without Your Love was the result in 1977. The title track, released as a single in November '76, was a #9 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Bruce's album was no competition. I got mine in 1979 in a used record shop - it's a promo copy. Has only a few decent tracks. Those Beach Boys re-makes not among them. I'm indifferent on "I Write the Songs". Barry did it very well, and it was okay when Bruce pulled it out for Beach Boys shows. He was already gone. Nothing on the record matches the great music he made with The Beach Boys, before or later when he returned to the group. Honestly, when he did want to spotlight his Grammy hit, I always thought he should be doing one of his Sunflower
songs. I also really enjoyed hearing him do "The Nearest Faraway Place" live - one of my very favorites by him. I think all of the songs Bruce wrote while in The Beach Boys were great-to-excellent. "Goodbye Girl" was just another solid Gates song. He kept writing great songs and producing great albums until he retired to run his ranch. I own and listen to all of his records and have everything on Cd, 1969 through 2002. I like about a dozen of his solo 1960s recordings. Bruce, to me, had a mostly uninteresting career in the early '60s before jumping off the copycat road, jumping in to fill a role in The Beach Boys - his lucky break. Bruce is a great singer. Brian Wilson had a way of making those around him better. Usually, only when they were in his orbit. David Gates made six solo albums. Bruce made one. Bruce has not been filling a role, or playing the world’s longest game of make believe for sixty years. Bruce Johnston is a Beach Boy. The lament is that he has not released more solo work. Manilow has multiple Christmas albums to his name, and Johnston has none. This is a tragedy that can still be remedied. The Christmas season is one of miracles. It was so nice to get new albums from Micky Dolenz with his matured vocals, but it would be spectacular to get one from Bruce Johnston given what I heard live. Bruce Johnston’s work has always been able to stand on its own merits. He has always been enough. No one writes like he does. There is a distinct top note of unashamed emotion, of the human experience, to his songs. It is a delicate thing to offer that kind of interior beauty for public consumption, knowing full well the critical reception it might receive. Yet I hope he knows it was well received by at least one other person on the planet. Bruce has outlasted the majority of those who were so critical back in 1977. Were he able to work up the hardihood to try once more, I believe his fortitude would be rewarded. |
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Post by Will/P.P. on Nov 20, 2023 20:56:33 GMT -5
Bruce is good, but not David Gates good. Let's get that straight. David wrote a lot more than songs for romcoms. David is part of L.A. music history, beginning in 1961. Was involved with the wrecking crew cats and wrote hits for others, though I wasn't paying any attention back then. Bread's first album in 1969 was great and served as my introduction to his talent as a performer. I'm not sure how many on this forum remember Bread, other than their soft hits. In reality, they could rock when they wanted to. The rockers were mostly deep cuts. David's first solo album in 1973 was incredible, as was Never Let Her Go (1975). Then, in 1976, he reformed Bread (Jimmy Griffin, Larry Knechtel, Mike Botts and David). Lost Without Your Love was the result in 1977. The title track, released as a single in November '76, was a #9 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Bruce's album was no competition. I got mine in 1979 in a used record shop - it's a promo copy. Has only a few decent tracks. Those Beach Boys re-makes not among them. I'm indifferent on "I Write the Songs". Barry did it very well, and it was okay when Bruce pulled it out for Beach Boys shows. He was already gone. Nothing on the record matches the great music he made with The Beach Boys, before or later when he returned to the group. Honestly, when he did want to spotlight his Grammy hit, I always thought he should be doing one of his Sunflower
songs. I also really enjoyed hearing him do "The Nearest Faraway Place" live - one of my very favorites by him. I think all of the songs Bruce wrote while in The Beach Boys were great-to-excellent. "Goodbye Girl" was just another solid Gates song. He kept writing great songs and producing great albums until he retired to run his ranch. I own and listen to all of his records and have everything on Cd, 1969 through 2002. I like about a dozen of his solo 1960s recordings. Bruce, to me, had a mostly uninteresting career in the early '60s before jumping off the copycat road, jumping in to fill a role in The Beach Boys - his lucky break. Bruce is a great singer. Brian Wilson had a way of making those around him better. Usually, only when they were in his orbit. David Gates made six solo albums. Bruce made one. Bruce has not been filling a role, or playing the world’s longest game of make believe for sixty years. Bruce Johnston is a Beach Boy. The lament is that he has not released more solo work. Manilow has multiple Christmas albums to his name, and Johnston has none. This is a tragedy that can still be remedied. The Christmas season is one of miracles. It was so nice to get new albums from Micky Dolenz with his matured vocals, but it would be spectacular to get one from Bruce Johnston given what I heard live. Bruce Johnston’s work has always been able to stand on its own merits. He has always been enough. No one writes like he does. There is a distinct top note of unashamed emotion, of the human experience, to his songs. It is a delicate thing to offer that kind of interior beauty for public consumption, knowing full well the critical reception it might receive. Yet I hope he knows it was well received by at least one other person on the planet. Bruce has outlasted the majority of those who were so critical back in 1977. Were he able to work up the hardihood to try once more, I believe his fortitude would be rewarded. Too often the thing you want most is the thing you can't have... but if you're well, in good health, head, heart and body, that's a blessing. I have heard Bruce's "Jingle Bells" - it's okay. Also heard "White Christmas" from the 2018 shows he did with Mike and... I have a saying, "no Carl, no Beach Boys.", not even that get together in 2012. That was a Brian and... record. The way I look at it - The Beach Boys were the greatest group America produced. In-fighting and jealousy caused them to begin falling apart in the late seventies. Losing Dennis was a major blow for me, but was lucky to see them with all the Wilson brothers in 1983 at Candlestick Park. Got to see three of Carl's solo shows. They soldiered on until 1986 for the most part, making music I hold dear to my heart. That ended with "California Dreamin'". I continued to support them for another ten years going to many of their concerts, seen them about twenty-five times, 1973-1996. That's a quick snap-shot. Since retiring and moving to the country in 1998 it became more difficult to see them. It costs a fortune these days to travel to where they play. I have seen Brian once and the Mike and Bruce show once when they played near me. Really don't think concerts are worth hundreds of dollars. I support them all now by buying box-sets and deluxe editions. And DVDs, while not the same as being there in person, are good enough. Don't believe I'm the Bruce fan that you are. Life's been good, glad to have experienced what I did. Welcome to our forum, beachmallow. Hope your wish comes true. |
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Post by beachmallow on Nov 21, 2023 2:15:50 GMT -5
Thank you, W.
I enjoy all of The Beach Boys, and Bruce happens to be my favorite.
My primary research interest is Dennis Wilson 1979 -1981. My secondary interest is in finding the two lost Beach Boys cartoons. The 1970 OP was animated, which means Fred Crippen had audio to animate to. That means there is a lost Beach Boys theme song that Mike, Bruce, and Al know nothing about, as I have asked each of them. I am hoping that Aaron Crippen retained a copy at Pantomime, or that the Saul Bass Estate has one on record. Saul Bass was the advertising genius behind the Hanna-Barbera star logo, and did the poster art for Two-Lane Blacktop. He had hired Fred Crippen to animate another project. Hanna-Barbera’s 1976 version never made it out of pre-production. While Warner Brothers retained the work, it is considered privileged, and they have formally refused to release it. There is a circa 1986 cartoon likely produced by DIC in collaboration with CBS and Columbia Pictures Television. It looked so familiar, but I could not place it right away. I finally recognized the art style after picking up an older edition of ESQ featuring a drawing of Dean Torrence that reminded me of Rowdy Roddy Piper. That was when it dawned on me that the color and line work was a match for Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘N’ Wrestling. DIC was folded into Cookie Jar, which was acquired by WildBrain. They have not responded to requests, and that cartoon may be lost entirely. Sony, who owns the rights to the majority of Columbia Pictures Television productions, did search their archives and were unable to locate anything pertaining to this project in their collection. I also contacted Jeffrey Scott, who won three Emmy awards for his work in writing numerous popular cartoons. He was a writer for Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘N’ Wrestling. He had never heard of this project. David Beard was kind enough to share an art piece that was surely the inspiration behind transforming Al into a duck. I recall seeing production art from at least one other cartoon with The Beach Boys in their striped shirt, but this was not the Chuck Jones piece. It was almost Rankin-Bass. The pre-production art for the 1970 Pantomime art was auctioned off in a Brother Records folder by Fred Crippen before his death. The art included sketches of six Beach Boys in the Yellow Submarine art style, meaning that Bruce Johnston is, or was, featured in that OP.
The Beach Boys fandom has been deprived of at least three cartoons, and an official theme song.
So, with that many professionals having attempted this, where did they all go wrong? Why was none of this ever followed through? Production costs, distribution, marketing, and merchandising are the four most likely culprits.
Would you happen to know when Carl took the reins in the 1970’s? All of this was before my time.
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Post by AGD on Nov 23, 2023 6:00:13 GMT -5
Bruce, to me, had a mostly uninteresting career in the early '60s before jumping off the copycat road, jumping in to fill a role in The Beach Boys - his lucky break. Bruce is a great singer. Brian Wilson had a way of making those around him better. Usually, only when they were in his orbit. Beg to differ, his pre-BB career is fascinating, especially in the fifties. Per Wikipedia: "He performed in a few "beginning" bands during this time (high school) and then moved on to working with young musicians such as Sandy Nelson, Kim Fowley, and Phil Spector. Soon, Johnston began backing people such as Ritchie Valens, the Everly Brothers, and Eddie Cochran. In 1959, while still in high school, Johnston arranged and played on his first hit record, "Teen Beat" by Sandy Nelson. The single reached the Billboard Top Ten. The same year, Johnston made his first single under his own name, "Take This Pearl" on Arwin Records (a record label owned by Doris Day) as part of the Bruce & Jerry duo (Jerry Cooper was a high school friend of Bruce's). The teenage Hot Rod film entitled "Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow" (1959), features the song "I Promise You" by Johnston and Judy Harriet. In 1960, Johnston started his record production career at Del-Fi Records, producing five singles and an album – Love You So – by Ron Holden (many of the album's eleven tracks were written or co-written by Johnston)." Not to mention the infamous John Dolphin incident. |
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Post by beachmallow on Nov 23, 2023 7:13:59 GMT -5
Bruce, to me, had a mostly uninteresting career in the early '60s before jumping off the copycat road, jumping in to fill a role in The Beach Boys - his lucky break. Bruce is a great singer. Brian Wilson had a way of making those around him better. Usually, only when they were in his orbit. Beg to differ, his pre-BB career is fascinating, especially in the fifties. Per Wikipedia: "He performed in a few "beginning" bands during this time (high school) and then moved on to working with young musicians such as Sandy Nelson, Kim Fowley, and Phil Spector. Soon, Johnston began backing people such as Ritchie Valens, the Everly Brothers, and Eddie Cochran. In 1959, while still in high school, Johnston arranged and played on his first hit record, "Teen Beat" by Sandy Nelson. The single reached the Billboard Top Ten. The same year, Johnston made his first single under his own name, "Take This Pearl" on Arwin Records (a record label owned by Doris Day) as part of the Bruce & Jerry duo (Jerry Cooper was a high school friend of Bruce's). The teenage Hot Rod film entitled "Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow" (1959), features the song "I Promise You" by Johnston and Judy Harriet. In 1960, Johnston started his record production career at Del-Fi Records, producing five singles and an album – Love You So – by Ron Holden (many of the album's eleven tracks were written or co-written by Johnston)." Not to mention the infamous John Dolphin incident. Speaking of Nelsons, The Nelson Twins are on the Malt Shop Cruise playing their Daddy’s hits. I saw them perform at Epcot back in 2004 when I was just a teenybopper. If there were any degree of Beach Boys / Nelson crossover and I missed out, I would just eat my heart out! Mike Love and already collaborated with Hanson. If they did anything with Nelson there would be nothing left for 90’s girls to ask for! Even the Tanner Girls from Full House had a Nelson poster hanging on their bedroom wall. Just imagine The Beach Boys covering Fools Rush In, Believe What You Say, or She’s Way Too Cute For Him… It is too much to hope for. |
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Post by Will/P.P. on Nov 24, 2023 15:27:31 GMT -5
Bruce, to me, had a mostly uninteresting career in the early '60s before jumping off the copycat road, jumping in to fill a role in The Beach Boys - his lucky break. Bruce is a great singer. Brian Wilson had a way of making those around him better. Usually, only when they were in his orbit. Beg to differ, his pre-BB career is fascinating, especially in the fifties. Per Wikipedia: "He performed in a few "beginning" bands during this time (high school) and then moved on to working with young musicians such as Sandy Nelson, Kim Fowley, and Phil Spector. Soon, Johnston began backing people such as Ritchie Valens, the Everly Brothers, and Eddie Cochran. In 1959, while still in high school, Johnston arranged and played on his first hit record, "Teen Beat" by Sandy Nelson. The single reached the Billboard Top Ten. The same year, Johnston made his first single under his own name, "Take This Pearl" on Arwin Records (a record label owned by Doris Day) as part of the Bruce & Jerry duo (Jerry Cooper was a high school friend of Bruce's). The teenage Hot Rod film entitled "Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow" (1959), features the song "I Promise You" by Johnston and Judy Harriet. In 1960, Johnston started his record production career at Del-Fi Records, producing five singles and an album – Love You So – by Ron Holden (many of the album's eleven tracks were written or co-written by Johnston)." Not to mention the infamous John Dolphin incident. Dolphin incident? Give me a break, Andrew. That has nothing to do with how talented Bruce was. David Gates played with talent while he was in high school, too - Rockin' with Leon. Goodness, you're quoting Wikipedia. David had a hit with "Popsicles and Icicles" - he wrote it, Kim produced it in '63. Sailed right over my head, I don't remember hearing it. I didn't even know who he was when he wrote the Monkees song in '66. Took me a year to find any worth in the Monkees. The Monkees were "kid sister" stuff until 1967. Most of what David did in the pre-Bread days is uninteresting to me. To me. As I said in my post. To me means something in English. Like what you like. Be yourself and I will too. Wasn't trying to hurt anybody's feelings, and didn't want to go too negative, so I didn't mention it, but... especially the fifties? Other than 1959, that's a stretch. Didn't like any of Sandy's music. Have heard some of Ron Holden's music, but not in the sixties. Do you like that album enough to own it? I know you like Bruce and Terry. I don't. Don't care much for Jan & Dean, either. Oh, the horror. Living through the fifties was "too many novelty tunes". To me, Elvis was a novelty act until 1962's "Follow That Dream". I wasn't much into 50's Rock and Roll. Maybe I was too young to appreciate it. I like some of it now. My fifties favorite group was The Everly Brothers and loads of R&B and doo-wop. I developed a love for Broadway/movie show tunes near the end of the fifties. Bossa nova and easy listening/ exotica. I knew who the Four Freshmen were due to radio and an older cousin had Freshmen Favorites (1956) - the one with "Day By Day" and "Graduation Day". Of the Tv stars, I loved Shelley, not the Nelsons. What I loved in the fifties was a perfect prep for becoming a Beach Boys fan. One I loved from the old days: |
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